Home / Sources / Domestic Homicide Reviews / Somerset · Oct 2025
About this page. This page summarises a Domestic Homicide Review published in the Home Office DHR Library. The full report is available at the source link below. Victim and perpetrator names are not included in extracted summaries on this page.
Source · Domestic Homicide Review

Somerset review

CSP: Somerset Published: October 2025 Year of death: 2021 Extracted: 13 recs

Statutory domestic homicide review under section 9 of the Domestic Violence, Crime and Victims Act 2004. Source: Home Office DHR Library.

Original review (PDF) ↗ Source: Home Office DHR Library

Summary AI-generated

Verify against the full report at the source link
The review identifies systemic invisibility and inadequate support for the victim, a male carer experiencing domestic abuse, alongside missed opportunities for multi-agency collaboration, comprehensive risk assessment, and information sharing across health and social care agencies.

Home Office classifications

35 tags

Source-supplied classifications used by the Home Office to catalogue this review.

  • Victim - died by suicide
  • Victim - was a carer
  • Victim - carer for perpetrator
  • Victim - mental ill health
  • Victim - depression
  • Victim - suicidal thoughts
  • Victim - serious or life limiting illness
  • Victim - had been a victim of an abuser before
  • Perpetrator - was a carer
  • Perpetrator - carer for victim
  • Perpetrator - mental ill health
  • Perpetrator - serious or life limiting illness
  • Perpetrator - known to agencies as a domestic abuse perpetrator
  • Perpetrator - known to police as a domestic abuse perpetrator
  • Perpetrator - known to social services as a domestic abuse perpetrator
  • Perpetrator - known to health services as a domestic abuse perpetrator
  • Perpetrator - known to mental health services as a domestic abuse perpetrator
  • Perpetrator - known to others as a domestic abuse perpetrator
  • Perpetrator - known to family as a domestic abuse perpetrator
  • Perpetrator - supervised by mental health services
  • Aggravating factors - physical abuse
  • DHR process - family contributed to dhr
  • DHR process - family consulted about terms of reference
  • DHR process - police recommendations
  • DHR process - social services recommendations
  • DHR process - health services recommendations
  • DHR process - community safety partnership recommendations
  • DHR process - technology systems recommendation themes
  • DHR process - identification of risk recommendation themes
  • DHR process - training recommendation themes
  • DHR process - policy recommendation themes
  • DHR process - multi agency working recommendation themes
  • DHR process - record keeping recommendation themes
  • DHR process - awareness raising recommendation themes
  • DHR process - other recommendation themes

Extracted recommendations

13 recommendations pulled from the report · 4 matched to organisations in the index

Recommendation 1

Addressed to Somerset NHS Foundation Trust

Domestic abuse routine enquiry within mental health contacts Awareness raising regarding DA routine enquiry (DARE) for clients/carers presenting with suicidal ideation.

Verified wording from the published review · Original review (PDF) ↗

Recommendation 1

Addressed to Safer Somerset Partnership

SSP to gain assurance that health agencies have robust systems in place to identify / record known carers, and have pathways in place to ensure timely referral for carers assessment and support with recognition that when circumstances change re-referrals and/or reassessment may be required.

Verified wording from the published review · Original review (PDF) ↗

Recommendation 2

Addressed to Somerset NHS Foundation Trust

Consideration of carers assessments for carers of relatives with mental ill health Memo to MH team managers and via MH teams’ supervision, to remind them of a carers right to assessment under the Care Act 2014. Plus information to be disseminated via Staff news article for wider Trust information

Verified wording from the published review · Original review (PDF) ↗

Recommendation 2

Addressed to Safer Somerset Partnership

SSP to take steps to ensure that professionals completing DA assessments across the health and social care system understand importance of the 9 protected characteristics in relation to domestic abuse victims and barriers to disclosure

Verified wording from the published review · Original review (PDF) ↗

Recommendation 3

Addressed to Somerset NHS Foundation Trust

Mental health teams to be aware of out of hours escalation regarding domestic abuse concerns Re-circulation of safeguarding adult and domestic abuse pathways

Verified wording from the published review · Original review (PDF) ↗

Recommendation 3

Addressed to Somerset County Council Adult Social Care

SCC to incorporate learning from review into training and CPD opportunities for staff

Verified wording from the published review · Original review (PDF) ↗

Recommendation 3

Addressed to Safer Somerset Partnership

SSP to ensure that. • There is training carried out, in relation to the sharing of information, throughout the Partnership. • That all agencies have processes in place for domestic abuse referral and/or DA Policies.

Verified wording from the published review · Original review (PDF) ↗

Recommendation 4

Addressed to Somerset NHS Foundation Trust

Mental health teams to have domestic abuse information available to pass on to clients / carers. Recirculate web details for Somerset Survivors and other DA support services

Verified wording from the published review · Original review (PDF) ↗

Recommendation 4

Addressed to Somerset County Council Adult Social Care

SCC to review the domestic abuse training available to ASC to ensure it meets the needs of the organisation.

Verified wording from the published review · Original review (PDF) ↗

Recommendation 4

Addressed to Somerset County Council Public Health

SCC Public Health to review its activities and provide agency training aimed at better recognising male victims of domestic abuse. In addition, more support to be provided to encourage male victims of domestic abuse to come forward. Support services and advice lines should be advertised more widely.

Verified wording from the published review · Original review (PDF) ↗

Recommendation 5

Addressed to Safer Somerset Partnership

SSP to ensure that all agencies with safeguarding responsibilities have. • An Outcomes Framework in place, • A process for measuring its success, in terms of volume of engagement. Each agency should provide a report discussing both evidence of good practice and areas for development.

Verified wording from the published review · Original review (PDF) ↗